Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Review)

Wealth of narrative details substitutes for cohesive story

A flawed decision to split the final installment of the
Harry Potter books into two films results in a formless narrative
that overstays its welcome. For as detailed as director David Yates
attempts to be with slick visual effects that periodically invigorate
the movie, the overemphasized spectacle merely illustrates the film's
lacking storyline.

We understand that Harry is in grave danger but
don't get any sense of his ability or inclination to rescue the human
and underground magic worlds from sinister forces if he survives to
defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. Reigning over the darkest of times,
Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his Death Eaters rally forces with
Rufus Scrimgeour's (Bill Nighy) Ministry of Magic to track down and
kill Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe).

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Harry's latest birthday coincides with his teaming up
with old pals Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) to find
and destroy a number of magic talismans called Horcruxes that contain
pieces of Voldemort's ink-black soul, thereby killing him once and
for all. Without its familiar academic campus setting of Hogwarts to
anchor its physical parameters, the movie meanders in and out of
disconnected but visually impressive set pieces. And at nearly
two-and-a-half hours you get the sense that screenwriter Steve Kloves
is dragging out the action with filler that should have been left on
the cutting room floor.

If the filmmakers' intention was to stay true
to J.K. Rowlings' novel by including a wealth of narrative details
and visual filigree, then they have at least scratched the surface.
What they haven't done, however, is present a cohesive story with
knowable and reliable characters. Grade: C

Opens Nov. 19. Check out theaters and show times, see the trailer and get theater details here.